St Theodore's

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Sermon of the Week
Look up the passage

5/11/06

Wisdom: The Path to Godliness -
by Tim Johnson Prov 7:1-7

Introduction

Let's do a little exercise as we begin. I want you to complete the following sentence 'I would like to be …' Did anyone have: 'I would like to be wise?' It strikes me that wisdom is not something that we talk about very often and it's not something that we value particularly highly in Australia. I would like to be rich - Yes. I would like to be famous - Yes. I would like to be a sports star - Yes. I would like to be wise - Not so much! And yet God places a strong emphasis on wisdom. In fact there are whole books of the bible related to it. And today we're starting a series in Proverbs - the classic book on wisdom - A book that contains hundreds of pithy sayings to entertain people at parties like: 'Like a dog that returns to its vomit is a fool who reverts to his folly.' 'As a door turns on its hinges, so does a lazy person in bed.' Or one that sounds like the wisdom of a Road Runner cartoon: 'Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and a stone will come back on the one who starts it rolling.' So is that what wisdom is all about, knowing a series of pithy sayings? Well, no. There's far more to it. And we get a good introduction in 1:1-7. Here we have the title of the book (v.1), the purpose of the book (vv.2-6) and the motto of the Book (v.7)

The fear of the Lord…

Let's look at verse 7 first because as the motto of Proverbs it shapes the entire structure of the book 'The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.' To see how crucial this verse is, let's do a quick overview of Proverbs. There are two broad parts to the Book: Chapters 1-9 contains longer speeches on wisdom. This section is essentially an introduction to the study of wisdom. Showing you how to read the book and what Proverbs is all about. Chapters 10-31 contain short sentence sayings like: Proverbs 11:28 - Those who trust in their riches will wither, but the righteous will flourish like green leaves. Proverbs 11:29 - Those who trouble their households will inherit wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise. Now bearing that in mind, have a look at where this phrase about the fear of the Lord crops up. In Proverbs 9:10 - the end of this introductory section we read, 'The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.' So the entire opening section is framed by this principle: The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. And again, if you go to the very end of Proverbs, what do you find? In Proverbs 31:10-31 you have a poem about the qualities of the excellent wife. This paints the picture of the consummate wise person. Each verse starts with a subsequent letter of the Hebrew - What is called an acrostic - and the idea is to portray the A-Z of wisdom. I actually think that in the context of the book this excellent wife is as much a model for men as it is for woman. It's not a chance for men to say to their wives, 'You should be like this' but for men to also listen and apply the lessons. But look at the second last verse of the poem, the second last verse of the entire book of Proverbs. 'Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.' Proverbs is trying to make a very clear point about wisdom. The entire book is framed by this idea. If you want to be wise - the fear of the Lord is the foundational principle. Proverbs starts with it and ends with it. And the phrase keeps on popping up throughout the book. But what does this mean? The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. In particular, we might ask about the idea of fear. Why should we fear God? Isn't fear a bad thing? I remember in one of the first years of being a youth group leader, we had a 'tough questions' night and one of the girls asked, 'The bible tells us to fear God and also to love God. Isn't that a contradiction?' It was a good question: what does it mean to fear God. The idea is of have a proper understanding of who God is and a respect for him. Think about it like this: What would our reaction be if we came face to face with God? Well, we get a few examples of it in the bible! In Isaiah 6, Isaiah is confronted by God in all his splendour and holiness. Isaiah's reaction is to fall on his face and tell God to get away because he is a sinful man. Confronted with God's awesome power and perfect purity people cannot help but be aware of their own shortcomings. We are created - God is the creator. We are sinful - God is perfect in purity. We are weak - God is all powerful. What does it mean to fear the Lord? It means acknowledging that God is God and we are not. It means revering God and giving him his right place as king of the world. It means living life as if we are constantly in God's presence Do you want to be wise? Proverbs insists that the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. By 'the beginning' it doesn't mean that this is just the first step that is left behind later. Start with the fear of the Lord and then move on to the advanced subjects! No, the fear of the Lord is more like a foundation. It is the necessary beginning or first step But if it's ever removed the entire wisdom structure collapses The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. So at its heart wisdom is theological. Unless you start by acknowledging that God is God you will never be wise. You might top the state in your VCE exams. You might get a PhD in nuclear-astro-physics. You might found a multi-billion dollar IT company. But if you do not fear the Lord then you are not wise, worse than that, you are a fool! Psalm 14:1 - 'Fools say in their hearts, "There is no God."' To ignore God, the maker of the world, the one who sustains every breath that we take the one who is the ruler of everything and knows how it all works is utter foolishness. You cannot make proper sense of the world apart from him. So Proverbs wants to make clear at the outset what the foundation of wisdom is: The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. Already there is a contrast and a choice: If you want to be wise then start with God, but fools will despise wisdom and instruction, They may be smart - there are plenty of smart fools in the world - But by ignoring God, they are actually despising true wisdom and instruction. So the first challenge for us today is: Do we fear God? Do you acknowledge that God is God and you are not? When you make decisions about your money, your job, your courses, your relationships, is what God wants more important than what you want? Do you revere God and give him his right place as king of the world? Do you live life as if you are constantly in God's presence? When you make decisions is your first concern about what God thinks or about what other people will think? That is the crucial first step to becoming wise, and it is the foundational principle that must underlie all growth in wisdom. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Do you fear God? What's more this idea is radically counter-cultural. I was reflecting on this over the past week as I listened to the radio. You might have heard in the news about a government plan to fund chaplains in schools. And this was being discussed on ABC radio on Monday morning. People were calling in and arguing that the government's priority should be: remedial English, counselors, computer labs, and so on, before throwing money into supporting religious chaplains of all things! We should be funding growth in knowledge rather than growth in irrational religious belief. And to be honest the argument sounds quite convincing. Except for the fact, that in God's economy, unless you have him in the central place then you are not wise but foolish God must be the starting point for understanding life. As important as remedial English, counselors and computers for schools are in actual fact we can all that and be foolish. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

Character not just knowledge

Having laid the foundation of wisdom lets go back and examine vv.2-6, which lay out the purpose of the book and identify two more key aspects of wisdom. Proverbs 1:2 is really the summary of the purpose, with two halves: v2a is filled out in more detail in vv.3-5, v.2b is filled out in more detail in v.6. So the first purpose: 'For learning about wisdom and instruction.' This relates to the substance of wisdom. If you want to be wise then you need some content. You need to take stuff in. You need to develop in certain areas. You need to learn wisdom and instruction And what this looks like is explained further in v.3 'for gaining instruction in wise dealing, righteousness, justice, and equity'. Now what do you notice there? Wisdom relates to a person's moral character. Just look at the individual words: Wise dealing - that is, having the discipline of making good choices. Righteousness - that is, doing what is right; doing the right thing by God's standards, doing the right thing by others in your relationships. Justice - judging in a way that is consistent that does not take advantage of people that acts from principles rather than pragmatics. Equity - treating people fairly and equally regardless of circumstances. We have been thinking about these last two characteristics in the 'make poverty history' campaign & the millennium goals. It is easy for us in the Western world to continue taking advantage of those in the two-thirds world but to act with justice & equity means changing our habits and patterns so that we are not profiting at the expense of those poorer than us. And that can be as concrete as the coffee we drink or the clothes we wear. You see throughout this list that wisdom is primarily about who you are. It is about your character rather than what you know. If you want to be wise then you need to work hard at your character. What's more, growing in wisdom is necessary for the young and the old. Look at vv.4-5: 'to teach shrewdness to the simple, knowledge and prudence to the young, let the wise also hear and gain in learning, and the discerning acquire skill.' It doesn't matter whether you're young and simple - which doesn't mean stupid but rather inexperienced in life circumstances - or whether you are older, wiser and more discerning. Whatever the case, we all need to continue growing in wisdom, growing our character by listening to the insights of Proverbs. How does that make you feel? To be honest, it would be easier if wisdom was just about knowing things! Shaping your character is much harder, takes much longer and is far more deep seated. But you see that's the point. If we have our character shaped by God and his word, then wisdom will flow from who we are, rather than from some facts we know. It is hard work to have our character shaped but once it becomes a part of who we are then it becomes second nature, to act wisely, to be just and equitable and discerning and shrewd. It's a bit like sports coaching. Someone like Ricky Ponting has had years of coaching for his batting. So when he is facing an opening bowler and a ball is hurtling towards him he doesn't stop and think about knowledge he has acquired. But instinctively, his feet shuffle into position, his bat lifts up, and he strikes the ball at just the right moment. So too with wisdom, If we do the hard work of listening to God's word over many years, in church, in youth group, in bible study, in our quiet times. And working hard to apply it to our contexts and relationships and lives bit by bit we will be having our character shaped by God's Holy Spirit And increasingly we will act instinctively the way God wants us to do. We will act justly, we will make discerning decisions. The challenge for all of us is to continue the step-by-step process of listening to God's word, of prayer for God's Holy Spirit to shape our character, of obediently doing what God would have us do.

Knowing when to use your knowledge

And one final aspect of wisdom in these verses. V.2b gives us the other purpose of the book: 'for understanding words of insight.' Again you see that there is more to wisdom than mere content. Wisdom involves having the discernment to read situations and know when to best apply what you have learnt. And this is further explained in v.6: 'to understand a proverb and a figure, the words of the wise and their riddles.' Notice that wisdom is not just about knowing proverbs, figures, riddles. It's about understanding them! That is, it is about being able to read a situation and apply what you know. Again, the wise person understands proverbs and wise sayings to such a level that they know when to use them appropriately. That is one of the tricks with proverbs. They are not universal truths that apply to all situations. Take a look at Proverbs 26:4 'Do not answer fools according to their folly, or you will be a fool yourself.' And in the very next verse! 'Answer fools according to their folly, or they will be wise in their own eyes.' What? Are we supposed to answer a fool according to their folly or not answer a fool according to their folly? It seems like a total contradiction! And yet the book of Proverbs holds these sayings side-by-side But you see both sayings are true statements to make in different circumstances! It is like our own English proverbs: 'Too many cooks spoil the broth'; 'many hands make light work.' There are some situations where too many people get in each other's way There are other situations where the more people working on a task the better And the wise person will be able to read the situation and know when to use the wisdom of one proverb or when to read the wisdom of the other proverb What's more to use a proverb or wise saying at the wrong time, can be decidedly unhelpful. I recently heard the story of a young woman who tragically lost her husband. At the funeral, an older man came up to offer her words of comfort. 'Don't worry', he said, 'you're a pretty young thing. You'll find another one.' That is a classic example of foolish speech! Someone trying to offer words of wisdom and comfort, but compounding a person's grief by saying the wrong thing. To be wise we need not only to say the right thing, but to say it at the right time! It is utter foolishness to say a right and true thing at the wrong time. This idea is filled out more in Proverbs 26:7 'The legs of a disabled person hang limp; so does a proverb in the mouth of a fool.' In other words, a proverb, a wise and true saying, in the mouth of a fool is useless. A few verses on in Proverbs 26:9 we see that the problem can be even worse: 'Like a thornbush brandished by the hand of a drunkard is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.' That is like the older man at the funeral isn't it? His comments to the young widow were about as helpful as a drunk waving a huge branch with sharp thorns on it. It is really difficult isn't it? The more I explore this idea, the more I realize what hard work wisdom is! Even if I memorized all the sayings in Proverbs. That is no guarantee of wisdom because I might use them wrongly. In order to make sure that I am being truly wise will be a long life process. Wisdom involves growth of character. Wisdom involves depth of reflection. Wisdom involves understanding ourselves, other people & situations. And of course, all this must be founded on the fear of the Lord.

Let's pray that God would continue shaping us and growing us in wisdom.

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	Sermon of the Week	Look up the passage
	5/11/06
	Wisdom: The Path to Godliness - by Tim Johnson	Prov 7:1-7

	Introduction
	Let's do a little exercise as we begin. I want you to complete the following sentence 'I would like to be …' Did anyone have: 'I would like to be wise?' It strikes me that wisdom is not something that we talk about very often and it's not something that we value particularly highly in Australia. I would like to be rich - Yes. I would like to be famous - Yes. I would like to be a sports star - Yes. I would like to be wise - Not so much! And yet God places a strong emphasis on wisdom. In fact there are whole books of the bible related to it. And today we're starting a series in Proverbs - the classic book on wisdom - A book that contains hundreds of pithy sayings to entertain people at parties like: 'Like a dog that returns to its vomit is a fool who reverts to his folly.' 'As a door turns on its hinges, so does a lazy person in bed.' Or one that sounds like the wisdom of a Road Runner cartoon: 'Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and a stone will come back on the one who starts it rolling.' So is that what wisdom is all about, knowing a series of pithy sayings? Well, no. There's far more to it. And we get a good introduction in 1:1-7. Here we have the title of the book (v.1), the purpose of the book (vv.2-6) and the motto of the Book (v.7)
	The fear of the Lord…
	Let's look at verse 7 first because as the motto of Proverbs it shapes the entire structure of the book 'The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.' To see how crucial this verse is, let's do a quick overview of Proverbs. There are two broad parts to the Book: Chapters 1-9 contains longer speeches on wisdom. This section is essentially an introduction to the study of wisdom. Showing you how to read the book and what Proverbs is all about. Chapters 10-31 contain short sentence sayings like: Proverbs 11:28 - Those who trust in their riches will wither, but the righteous will flourish like green leaves. Proverbs 11:29 - Those who trouble their households will inherit wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise. Now bearing that in mind, have a look at where this phrase about the fear of the Lord crops up. In Proverbs 9:10 - the end of this introductory section we read, 'The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.' So the entire opening section is framed by this principle: The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. And again, if you go to the very end of Proverbs, what do you find? In Proverbs 31:10-31 you have a poem about the qualities of the excellent wife. This paints the picture of the consummate wise person. Each verse starts with a subsequent letter of the Hebrew - What is called an acrostic - and the idea is to portray the A-Z of wisdom. I actually think that in the context of the book this excellent wife is as much a model for men as it is for woman. It's not a chance for men to say to their wives, 'You should be like this' but for men to also listen and apply the lessons. But look at the second last verse of the poem, the second last verse of the entire book of Proverbs. 'Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.' Proverbs is trying to make a very clear point about wisdom. The entire book is framed by this idea. If you want to be wise - the fear of the Lord is the foundational principle. Proverbs starts with it and ends with it. And the phrase keeps on popping up throughout the book. But what does this mean? The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. In particular, we might ask about the idea of fear. Why should we fear God? Isn't fear a bad thing? I remember in one of the first years of being a youth group leader, we had a 'tough questions' night and one of the girls asked, 'The bible tells us to fear God and also to love God. Isn't that a contradiction?' It was a good question: what does it mean to fear God. The idea is of have a proper understanding of who God is and a respect for him. Think about it like this: What would our reaction be if we came face to face with God? Well, we get a few examples of it in the bible! In Isaiah 6, Isaiah is confronted by God in all his splendour and holiness. Isaiah's reaction is to fall on his face and tell God to get away because he is a sinful man. Confronted with God's awesome power and perfect purity people cannot help but be aware of their own shortcomings. We are created - God is the creator. We are sinful - God is perfect in purity. We are weak - God is all powerful. What does it mean to fear the Lord? It means acknowledging that God is God and we are not. It means revering God and giving him his right place as king of the world. It means living life as if we are constantly in God's presence Do you want to be wise? Proverbs insists that the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. By 'the beginning' it doesn't mean that this is just the first step that is left behind later. Start with the fear of the Lord and then move on to the advanced subjects! No, the fear of the Lord is more like a foundation. It is the necessary beginning or first step But if it's ever removed the entire wisdom structure collapses The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. So at its heart wisdom is theological. Unless you start by acknowledging that God is God you will never be wise. You might top the state in your VCE exams. You might get a PhD in nuclear-astro-physics. You might found a multi-billion dollar IT company. But if you do not fear the Lord then you are not wise, worse than that, you are a fool! Psalm 14:1 - 'Fools say in their hearts, "There is no God."' To ignore God, the maker of the world, the one who sustains every breath that we take the one who is the ruler of everything and knows how it all works is utter foolishness. You cannot make proper sense of the world apart from him. So Proverbs wants to make clear at the outset what the foundation of wisdom is: The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. Already there is a contrast and a choice: If you want to be wise then start with God, but fools will despise wisdom and instruction, They may be smart - there are plenty of smart fools in the world - But by ignoring God, they are actually despising true wisdom and instruction. So the first challenge for us today is: Do we fear God? Do you acknowledge that God is God and you are not? When you make decisions about your money, your job, your courses, your relationships, is what God wants more important than what you want? Do you revere God and give him his right place as king of the world? Do you live life as if you are constantly in God's presence? When you make decisions is your first concern about what God thinks or about what other people will think? That is the crucial first step to becoming wise, and it is the foundational principle that must underlie all growth in wisdom. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Do you fear God? What's more this idea is radically counter-cultural. I was reflecting on this over the past week as I listened to the radio. You might have heard in the news about a government plan to fund chaplains in schools. And this was being discussed on ABC radio on Monday morning. People were calling in and arguing that the government's priority should be: remedial English, counselors, computer labs, and so on, before throwing money into supporting religious chaplains of all things! We should be funding growth in knowledge rather than growth in irrational religious belief. And to be honest the argument sounds quite convincing. Except for the fact, that in God's economy, unless you have him in the central place then you are not wise but foolish God must be the starting point for understanding life. As important as remedial English, counselors and computers for schools are in actual fact we can all that and be foolish. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
	Character not just knowledge
	Having laid the foundation of wisdom lets go back and examine vv.2-6, which lay out the purpose of the book and identify two more key aspects of wisdom. Proverbs 1:2 is really the summary of the purpose, with two halves: v2a is filled out in more detail in vv.3-5, v.2b is filled out in more detail in v.6. So the first purpose: 'For learning about wisdom and instruction.' This relates to the substance of wisdom. If you want to be wise then you need some content. You need to take stuff in. You need to develop in certain areas. You need to learn wisdom and instruction And what this looks like is explained further in v.3 'for gaining instruction in wise dealing, righteousness, justice, and equity'. Now what do you notice there? Wisdom relates to a person's moral character. Just look at the individual words: Wise dealing - that is, having the discipline of making good choices. Righteousness - that is, doing what is right; doing the right thing by God's standards, doing the right thing by others in your relationships. Justice - judging in a way that is consistent that does not take advantage of people that acts from principles rather than pragmatics. Equity - treating people fairly and equally regardless of circumstances. We have been thinking about these last two characteristics in the 'make poverty history' campaign & the millennium goals. It is easy for us in the Western world to continue taking advantage of those in the two-thirds world but to act with justice & equity means changing our habits and patterns so that we are not profiting at the expense of those poorer than us. And that can be as concrete as the coffee we drink or the clothes we wear. You see throughout this list that wisdom is primarily about who you are. It is about your character rather than what you know. If you want to be wise then you need to work hard at your character. What's more, growing in wisdom is necessary for the young and the old. Look at vv.4-5: 'to teach shrewdness to the simple, knowledge and prudence to the young, let the wise also hear and gain in learning, and the discerning acquire skill.' It doesn't matter whether you're young and simple - which doesn't mean stupid but rather inexperienced in life circumstances - or whether you are older, wiser and more discerning. Whatever the case, we all need to continue growing in wisdom, growing our character by listening to the insights of Proverbs. How does that make you feel? To be honest, it would be easier if wisdom was just about knowing things! Shaping your character is much harder, takes much longer and is far more deep seated. But you see that's the point. If we have our character shaped by God and his word, then wisdom will flow from who we are, rather than from some facts we know. It is hard work to have our character shaped but once it becomes a part of who we are then it becomes second nature, to act wisely, to be just and equitable and discerning and shrewd. It's a bit like sports coaching. Someone like Ricky Ponting has had years of coaching for his batting. So when he is facing an opening bowler and a ball is hurtling towards him he doesn't stop and think about knowledge he has acquired. But instinctively, his feet shuffle into position, his bat lifts up, and he strikes the ball at just the right moment. So too with wisdom, If we do the hard work of listening to God's word over many years, in church, in youth group, in bible study, in our quiet times. And working hard to apply it to our contexts and relationships and lives bit by bit we will be having our character shaped by God's Holy Spirit And increasingly we will act instinctively the way God wants us to do. We will act justly, we will make discerning decisions. The challenge for all of us is to continue the step-by-step process of listening to God's word, of prayer for God's Holy Spirit to shape our character, of obediently doing what God would have us do.
	Knowing when to use your knowledge
	And one final aspect of wisdom in these verses. V.2b gives us the other purpose of the book: 'for understanding words of insight.' Again you see that there is more to wisdom than mere content. Wisdom involves having the discernment to read situations and know when to best apply what you have learnt. And this is further explained in v.6: 'to understand a proverb and a figure, the words of the wise and their riddles.' Notice that wisdom is not just about knowing proverbs, figures, riddles. It's about understanding them! That is, it is about being able to read a situation and apply what you know. Again, the wise person understands proverbs and wise sayings to such a level that they know when to use them appropriately. That is one of the tricks with proverbs. They are not universal truths that apply to all situations. Take a look at Proverbs 26:4 'Do not answer fools according to their folly, or you will be a fool yourself.' And in the very next verse! 'Answer fools according to their folly, or they will be wise in their own eyes.' What? Are we supposed to answer a fool according to their folly or not answer a fool according to their folly? It seems like a total contradiction! And yet the book of Proverbs holds these sayings side-by-side But you see both sayings are true statements to make in different circumstances! It is like our own English proverbs: 'Too many cooks spoil the broth'; 'many hands make light work.' There are some situations where too many people get in each other's way There are other situations where the more people working on a task the better And the wise person will be able to read the situation and know when to use the wisdom of one proverb or when to read the wisdom of the other proverb What's more to use a proverb or wise saying at the wrong time, can be decidedly unhelpful. I recently heard the story of a young woman who tragically lost her husband. At the funeral, an older man came up to offer her words of comfort. 'Don't worry', he said, 'you're a pretty young thing. You'll find another one.' That is a classic example of foolish speech! Someone trying to offer words of wisdom and comfort, but compounding a person's grief by saying the wrong thing. To be wise we need not only to say the right thing, but to say it at the right time! It is utter foolishness to say a right and true thing at the wrong time. This idea is filled out more in Proverbs 26:7 'The legs of a disabled person hang limp; so does a proverb in the mouth of a fool.' In other words, a proverb, a wise and true saying, in the mouth of a fool is useless. A few verses on in Proverbs 26:9 we see that the problem can be even worse: 'Like a thornbush brandished by the hand of a drunkard is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.' That is like the older man at the funeral isn't it? His comments to the young widow were about as helpful as a drunk waving a huge branch with sharp thorns on it. It is really difficult isn't it? The more I explore this idea, the more I realize what hard work wisdom is! Even if I memorized all the sayings in Proverbs. That is no guarantee of wisdom because I might use them wrongly. In order to make sure that I am being truly wise will be a long life process. Wisdom involves growth of character. Wisdom involves depth of reflection. Wisdom involves understanding ourselves, other people & situations. And of course, all this must be founded on the fear of the Lord.
	Let's pray that God would continue shaping us and growing us in wisdom.

St Theodore's

Wattle Park

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Preaching Program

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